The United States has a vast amount of scenic beauty, and we’re fortunate to have thousands of trails that enable us to really get to know many of these places.
Ranking the best of them is a subjective thing, but the 15 here will make many a person’s list, and they’re all must-dos for anyone who loves putting on a pack and hiking books to explore the wild.
All of these can be done as day trips, though some are perhaps better done over one or two nights.
Mist Trail, California
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This popular trail in Yosemite National Park connects Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls, two of the park’s highest and most spectacular waterfalls. You’ll understand the trail’s name once you’re close to these thundering waterfalls.
Bishop Pass, California
Starting f
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rom South Lake in the High Sierra west of Bishop, this trail climbs for 6.5 miles past several mountain lakes and among stunning peaks to a high mountain pass on the boundary of Kings Canyon National Park. There, Mount Agassiz looms above and you have unforgettable views of lake-studded Dusy Basin.
Bridge Mountain, Nevada
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Many super-beautiful trails can also be super-crowded, but this one in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area outside Las Vegas is an exception. That’s because getting there requires negotiating a rough four-wheel drive road. The trail leads downhill and then uphill through a sandstone wonderland that includes a natural bridge, ending at the summit of Bridge Mountain, a dome-like sandstone peak. Sone scrambling is required for this route.
Sawtooth Lake, Idaho
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This is probably the quintessential hike in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, which are sometimes likened to the Sierra Nevada. The trail leads to Sawtooth Lake, beautifully framed by Mt. Regan. If you’re experienced with route-finding and more-challenging scrambling, you can make your way to Regan’s summit for spectacular panoramic views.
Iceberg Lake, Montana
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Glacier National Park has so many incredible hikes that it could dominate a list like this, so we’re limiting ourselves to just two. This hike is amazing almost every step of the way, with waterfalls, wildflowers, mountain views, and frequent sightings of wildlife such as grizzly bears and bighorn sheep. At the end, you reach an incredible blue lake walled in on three sides by 3000’-high cliffs. True to its name, the lake has blocks of ice floating in it for much of the summer as the winter freeze breaks up.
Grinnell Glacier, Montana
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Also in Glacier National Park, this trail climbs through gorgeous mountain scenery to reach one of the only trail-accessible glaciers in the park. At the base of the glacier, there’s an iceberg-studded lake with a deeply silty color from glacial sediment.
Paintbrush-Cascade Loop, Wyoming
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Depending on whether you use a boat shuttle across Jenny Lake, this hike in Grand Teton National Park is 19-23 miles. Via Paintbrush Divide, and connects Cascade Canyon and Paintbrush Canyon, and you’ll enjoy mountain lakes, wildflower-filled meadows, and sweeping views of the park’s highest and most rugged peaks.
Jackass Pass, Wyoming
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Most people who reach this high pass on the Continental Divide in the Wind River Range are backpackers headed for the famous Cirque of the Towers. However, you can do this in a day since it’s 7.5 miles each way, and the first 5 miles are pretty flat. The steep climb to the pass takes you past lakes and peaks, and from the pass itself, you have sweeping views of the Cirque, which attracts hikers and mountain climbers from all over the world.
Virgin River Narrows, Utah
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From where the road ends in Zion National Park’s Zion Canyon, take a trail for about a mile until it ends. Then the real hike begins; it’s a journey up the Virgin River where the river is the trail. The scenic highlight is around the junction with Orderville Canyon where the canyon is narrowest and the walls are highest. Expect to do some swimming on this journey, and never go in if the forecast calls for rain, which can quickly cause deadly flash flooding.
Lower Calf Creek Falls, Utah
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A waterfall in the desert? Yes! Calf Creek flows year-round in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and it includes two waterfalls, the lower of which is more spectacular and easier to get to. Along the way, you’ll see beautiful sandstone cliffs and ancient Native American rock art.
Devils Garden, Utah
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Arches National Park is the location for this often-packed trail. Despite the crowds, the hike is worth it because it passes by several awesome natural arches and ends at a narrow pinnacle called the Dark Angel. After Landscape Arch, one of the longest natural arches in the world, the crowds start to thin out. It’s unusual to be alone or among just a few others when you reach the Dark Angel.
Longs Peak Keyhole Route, Colorado
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At 16 miles round-trip and with about 5000’ in elevation gain, this is a demanding outing. It also requires some scrambling, including in some spots with a great deal of exposure to long falls. In addition, it’s recommended to reach the top by 10 and be off by noon at the latest due to the dangers of thunderstorms, which is why many people start out at 2 A.M. or earlier. But if you make it, you’ll be at the top of the highest peak in Rocky Mountain National Park, and it’s also the northernmost 14er (peak above 14,000’) in the Rockies. No peaks in the chain are higher until you reach the Yukon.
South Rim, Texas
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High in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park, this trail climbs through the mountains and ends up with extensive views across the Chihuahuan Desert to the cliffs and canyons along the U.S.-Mexico border and beyond. Many do this as an overnighter, but a strong hiker can do it in a day.
Old Rag, Virginia
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Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park sits isolated east of the main crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and its open summit, a rarity in these mountains, has excellent views of the crest and of the Piedmont country to the east. The most exciting way up, the Ridge Trail, involves some scrambling, but the Saddle Trail is a hiking-only alternative.
Whiteoak Canyon, Virginia
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In the shadow of Old Rag and also in Shenandoah, Whiteoak Canyon has six beautiful waterfalls. There are trailheads at both the upper and lower ends, but the best scenery is along the lower half, and if you start at the bottom, you can also make a loop with Cedar Run, which includes three more waterfalls.
The 30 Most Beautiful Places in the World That Everyone Must See
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There’s no way you could ever come up with a definitive list of the world’s most beautiful places. However, if you ask around, some places come up a lot more frequently than others do.
The following are some of the places that people mention over and over again, not in any particular order.
30 Breathtaking Places You Must See Before You Die
The Two Best Scenic Wonders in Each of the Mountain States
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The Mountain States– Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico– have some of the wildest and most rugged landscapes in the United States. Because they’re so big, it can take a lot of time to visit them, so it helps to be able to plan for some specific destinations.
Following are our choices for the top two must-see outdoor locations in each of these seven states.
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